Shadows End at Dawn
by ChrisCorso
Summary: Rita and Chris have been on the run for six months, but with Rita's due date quickly approaching, and the cover story of their deaths falling a part, they are running out of time. While hunting Marco Montoya, the man who's sworn to kill them, the case of a sadistic serial killer draws their attention. Can they stop Montoya, catch a killer, and finally come out of the shadows?
1. Chapter 1

**Shadows End at Dawn By Chris Corso**

Rita Lee Lance-Lorenzo sat on the front porch of the bungalow that she and Chris were using as their most recent safe house. She watched fascinated as the dawn danced and rippled across the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, off Sanibel Island. They'd been on the run for almost six months, and were becoming increasingly concerned and impatient. Concerned by Rita's impending due date, and frustrated that nobody had been able to flush Marco Montoya, the younger brother of the late Jesus Montoya, into the open. The younger Montoya was one taco short of a combination dinner, as Rita was fond of saying, but he was still dangerous, and although he'd lost control of his brother's empire, they couldn't be sure that he wouldn't try to make good on his promise to kill them. They'd contemplated reappearing to flush him out; they wanted Montoya wrapped up tight before the baby came. For now their baby was safe inside of Rita, but an infant could be taken from them. Rita shuddered at the thought. At the same time giving birth would make Rita much more mobile and be able to back Chris up if the worst happened. Right now she was a big and very round liability. They knew for a fact that Montoya hadn't given up crime and, if anything, he seemed to have reverted to street level hustling that should make him an easy pinch for their brothers and sisters in law enforcement. Sadly Rita realized Montoya had an insane amount of luck. On the positive side her relationship with Chris was as sold as ever and, if anything, even stronger. Rita thought that they knew everything there was to know about each other, but they'd been wrong. Forced solitude and stress were making them connect and work together at level far beyond what police partners, or a husband and wife, would ever experience. They were almost enjoying a life on the run, or at least the being together part. They were growing bored and missed the excitement of their former lives, and the mysteries they solved together. A few times they'd returned to Palm Beach to secretly assist the current silk stalking detail. Chris even managed to get them PI credentials using one of their former undercover personas. They'd taken on a few minor cases, which proved helpful as their savings were quickly becoming depleted. Rita's thoughts wandered as she felt strong hands begin to message her shoulders.

"You have magic hands, Sammy," Rita purred contentedly to her husband.

"Well thanks Sam. Consider the material I have to work with. You're like my muse," Chris grinned.

"Muse? Well I'm glad to hear it and I'm sure the beneficiary of your technique," Rita smiled contentedly.

"The pleasure is all mine, so penny for your thoughts. You were sitting here for a helluva long time. What is going on in that beautiful and complex mind of yours?" Chris asked.

"Well it started with Montoya and the fact that the old saying "God takes care of idiots" is sadly true, or at least true for idiots named Marco Montoya. Then I began to think about us, and our situation, and the fact that we're perversely enjoying ourselves and yet bored beyond hope of recovery."

Chris grinned, "did you come to any conclusions, because I sure as hell haven't?"

"Yeah we're running out of time and we don't do bored very well," Rita said with a smile

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "When the cover story of our untimely deaths started to crumble I really expected that would flush Montoya out, but it didn't, and I'm starting to wonder if he's even alive. Maybe we should just reappear and get our lives back. You know the P.I. gig is actually working. Maybe it's a way forward." Chris finished earnestly.

"I'm just scared Sam," Rita admitted. "When you were shot I was no use to you at all and when we ran into that hit team, a few months after we left…" Rita left her thought unspoken. That had been the closest they'd gotten to being killed, or captured, during their time on the run. A mental mistake on Rita's part allowed a hit team to learn of their location. They barely escaped. Chris refused to allow Rita to blame herself, but she continued to feel guilty enough for both of them.

"That's bullshit and you know it is Rita!" Chris said passionately. "Let it go. It wasn't your fault, our cover story was already blown, and you can't keep saying that you're not contributing. My God, Rita, you're carrying our baby! We're partners-partner!"

Rita began to cry softly and Chris took her into his arms. His touch broke the wall that she'd been using to keep her emotions at bay. Finally it broke and her feelings came spilling out. Chris continued to hold her till her tears lessened. Rita felt so foolish, but she also knew that Chris had the power to both sooth her and force her to face her worst demons. They both had that power over each other, but neither regretted it.

"Sometimes you just need your partner to give you a reality check. Thanks Chris," Rita kissed him gently.

"You're welcome. So I've been thinking. It's time for us to come out of the shadows. I heard a rumor, just today, that Montoya has set up shop in Fort Lauderdale. I don't know what he's doing, but I had Harry contact Hutch. Hutch told Harry that FLPD is going crazy trying to get Montoya. There's also been a bunch of unsolved homicides recently. You know the ones? There's something about them…" Chris paused and he noticed the gleam in Rita's eyes.

"I know. I think they have a serial killer on their hands and a high society one at that. What are you saying partner? We go after both scumbags?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Sammy! We've licked our wounds and bided our time. We made the right call running, but Harry was also right when he got on our case about it. I'm tired of running and I know you are too. Look we don't have crystal ball, so what? We have each other, right?"

Rita looked thoughtfully at her husband and Chris knew her brilliant mind and famous intuition were hard at work. "Yeah," Rita nodded, "let's do it. It's time for us to fight back. Fight to get our life back."


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Ben Hutchinson watched his rearview mirror carefully looking for any sign of a tail. The message that drew him to a deserted part of town had made his heart skip a beat. He was prepared to be as paranoid as needed, as careful as needed. Nobody could know about this meeting. Not yet. He drove towards a small grouping of industrial buildings and stopped in front of one. Getting out of his car he checked the location of his gun, out of habit more than anything else, but he wanted to be prepared. Just in case. He walked into the large warehouse and waited; he didn't wait long as he sensed a presence behind him. He turned quickly, hand on his gun, but exhaled sharply and put a hand to his mouth to stifle the uneven sob that almost escaped him. Until recently he thought they were dead. Seeing their coffins lowered into the ground was the worst moment of his life. Although he understood why they didn't tell him the truth it had still hurt, but not nearly as much as thinking of them as dead.

"Hutch," Rita said in a husky, tremulous voice. Her eyes wet with tears. "It's good to see you! Thanks for coming." Hutch noticed that Chris's eyes were also noticeably moist. Rita grasped Chris's hand, and with the other rubbed her swollen belly.

"Lance is that husband of yours taking good care of you? Lorenzo?" Hutch asked gruffly, trying to hide the emotions seething with in him.

"Yeah Skipper! He's everything I ever wanted and so much more," Rita answered her voice cracking.

"You should know that Hutch," Chris began with emotion. "You're the one that put us together. You set us on this path…"

"I always knew Lorenzo. You two just had to catch up." Hutch moved quickly toward his favorite detectives and pulled them into a powerful hug.

"It's so good to see you both. Alive! Alive! You look beautiful Rita. Even you do Lorenzo. So what's the plan? How do we get these-these people?"

"You can start by telling us what's going on. We want Montoya, but we also want to help catch this serial killer," Chris explained.

"The serial killer is a certified freak. The press is calling him the "sorority slasher" a stupid name, but he targets college age girls and, well, the bodies are pretty bad when we find them. We're not finding much physical evidence, or really any evidence besides the bodies. Every time the perp strikes there's a different MO, but I think the one thread that's connecting the victims is where they come from-an exclusive enclave in the outskirts of the city. Unless we can get more out of the existing cases, and catch this lunatic, I know he's going to strike again."

"What about Montoya?" Rita asked.

"We're pretty sure that he's trying to build his own organization to go head to head with what's left of his brothers crew. Thing is he's using cut rate talent and doesn't have the brains to get out of his own way. With him it's just a matter of time. Still, I'd like to get him off the field, and off your backs, so we can concentrate on the serial killer."

Rita and Chris exchanged a searching glance. This is what they came back to do. To get back to work, the only work they knew, and hopefully reclaim their life.

"Hutch we'll be staying at this address," Rita handed him a slip of paper. "Get us everything you have and we'll take a look."

"I'll get it to you. Be careful and watch your backs," Hutch watched as Chris and Rita backed away and faded into the shadows.

Two days later Chris and Rita were pouring over the case files of the serial killer. It quickly became clear that Hutch was correct. Only the home addresses of the victims seemed to provide any sort of linkage, but Rita and Chris knew from experience that first impressions could be misleading.

"So," Rita thought out loud, "if we assume that the perp is using this neighborhood to find his victims. How is he doing it? What is he? The pool boy? The gardener? What?"

"The victims," Chris began, "were found in different parts of the city and the crime scenes were clean, suggesting they were killed elsewhere and dumped. The perp has to pick them out, get them alone, kill them and transport the body."

"That's a lot of moving parts," Rita admitted. "None of the girls had steady boyfriends. Victim number one was supposed to be at a club. Number two a concert. And number three the beach. Those all sound like first dates to me Sam."

"Yeah first dates that became last dates." Chris shook his head. "So these girls, who didn't seem to know each other, are all selecting the same guy to go out with. How's that happening?"

"We have to figure that out and quick or it's going to happen again Chris. It's…" Rita's cell phone went off, and, looking at the number, she quickly answered. "Hutch! Tell me you have good news!" Chris saw Rita's fixed expression. She closed her eyes. "All right," she said softly, "we'll see you when you get done."

"What happened Rita? What did Hutch say?" Chris felt certain he knew what he'd hear from Rita, but was dumbstruck when she said.

"Umm he said," she cleared her throat, "he said they just found two bodies. Two more girls. This time they were rapped before they were killed. And they've been positively identified as 17 year old friends. We have to stop this bastard Chris! We have to stop him!"

Chris reached out to Rita and took her hand. "We will Sam. He's not getting away this time. Not this time."

Several hours later, over the remains of a take out dinner, Hutch looked at Rita and Chris in turn, making sure he had their full attention before saying. "Don't wallow in self pity. That's an order! You're involved because I know you can catch this punk! Dammit! you're the best homicide team I've ever seen. Don't lose focus, especially now. Look the fathers of the teens are pretty influential down here-a Robert Christian and a Philip Russel. From what I understand, and have seen of them, they're pretty sold guys. I'd like you to meet them. I think we may have more luck with them than we did with the families of the older girls. What do you say?"

"Yes. We'll meet them," Rita answered. "There's something about this guy. He's changing his pattern. He started with murder; than torture and murder, than torture, murder, and mutilation. Now he's adding rape. It's almost like…" She stopped short.

"Keep going Rita," Chris prompted.

"It's almost like there's more than one perp, but serial killers don't have buddies. The perp has to gain the victims confidence. Make them comfortable and get them into a place where they can't escape. We're dealing with a psychopath, but a shark who can swim with the Debs and not even be noticed."

"What are you saying Lance?" Hutch pressed her. "Are you saying the perp is in high school? College?"

"The victims were all different ages from 17 to 25," Chris glanced at the files. "Looks like they all went to the same private high school, but only the last two seemed to know each other. The 25 year old was working and had her own apartment. The 21 year old attended Palm's College and the 19 year old Florida State. I'll buy that the perp is college age or a recent graduate, but how is he scoring the high school girls? If the parents are good like you said Hutch I'd think they'd have the girls on a short leash."

"Good parents don't always equal good children Lorenzo. You know that? You've both seen that. The bad boy boyfriend is a cliche, but also a fact, and so is the teen rebel without a cause," Hutch remarked.

"The time frame is so tight Hutch," Rita interjected. "He's moving quick. This whole spree started just six months ago. I mean, maybe, he started courting the early victims before he decided to kill them but…" She thought of something, "Have you looked into unsolved rapes or sexual assults?"

Hutch smiled for the first time. "You're right Rita. Freaks don't just jump into murder. They practice first. I'll check first thing in the morning. I have to get going. We're set to meet with Christian and Russell two days from now at 10:00. I'll come and pick you up. One more thing. We think we have a line on your buddy Montoya. We might be close this time."

Chris and Rita nodded but said nothing. Rita hugged Hutch and Chris shook his hand and they watched as he drove away. They knew he'd been very careful getting to their location, but Chris still checked the security system and all the doors and windows before sitting down to clean his gun. Rita stood, arms crossed, and tensely watched him. It wasn't his preparations that bothered Rita, or even the fact that she'd reluctantly agreed to stay out of a firefight. She knew deep down the best option for her was to hide, but now that they were tangling with two psychos she wanted to renigeogate

"Chris," she called strongly. Chris looked up and knew what was coming. That stance and tone of voice were well known to him and normally he found it charming. Rita was tough. In some ways tougher than he was.

"Yeah," he respond keeping his voice carefully neutral.

"I want a gun," she saw Chris start but she cut him off. "I know I agreed to hold back, to hide if things went down, but that was then, and this is now. Things have changed and besides if-" She couldn't finish her thought. She couldn't say if he was killed and she was left alone to defend their baby.

Rita was surprised as Chris said. "You're right Rita. Last time was different. It was a setup. Montoya took your gun and there wasn't time for me to give you one. Would'a, should'a, could'a. We've both played the hostage. Had a gun to our backs. We have a talent for trouble Sammy." Chris stood and, walking over to a draw, drew out Rita's gun and three clips of ammunition. He handled them to her and returned to cleaning his gun. Rita moved to Chris and silently grabbed his shoulder and kissed his cheek. She sat next to him and began to methodically clean her gun.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later Hutch drove Rita and Chris to a large office building baring the name Christian and Associates. Rita and Chris were impressed in spite of their tension. It was a beautiful building. Hutch led the way and all three were surprised by the efficiency of the staff and their discretion. Finding themselves in a anteroom, they didn't have long to wait. The door opened and two middle aged men entered, both were expensively dressed in Italian silk. One man was tall, with light brown hair. His companion was shorter and darker. Both seemed open and friendly, but subdued, as befit the situation.

"Captain Hutchinson," the taller man began. "It's great to see you again. Thank you so much for coming."

"Likewise Mr. Christian, Mr. Russell" Hutch began to the other man. "Allow me to introduce Chris Lorenzo and Rita-" Hutch hesitated.

"Lorenzo," Rita smiled ever so slightly. "Formerly Lance." Chris smiled briefly in return. It wasn't the first time that Rita used his name publicly as her own, but their supposed deaths put any official changes on hold. "It's our pleasure gentlemen. Chris and I just wish we could have met you under different circumstances."

"Yeah," Chris interjected, "we're so sorry for your loss. For what your families have gone through. The Captain told us a lot about you, we're really impressed, and we want to catch the bastard that hurt your girls. We will catch him!"

Christian and Russell studied the couple before them. Christian replied, "men in our positions can't afford to take anything at face value, even the word of Captain Hutchinson. So we checked you out and I must say your records are amazing. I also know a bit about what you've been through. I believe you-Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo-that you'll bring the killer to justice. I swear we'll do everything we can to help you." Christian led the group to several comfortable looking sofas.

Chris began, "my wife and I have been studying the cases. The first victims were last seen at busy public locations. Your daughters were different. There's no information on where they were. Can you fill in the blanks?"

Christian and Russell exchanged uncertain glances. Rita saw something else-guilt. "You don't know, do you? They were supposed to be home, weren't they?"

"You're right. We don't know. We don't know why they weren't home," Russell admitted with sorrow. "It wasn't the first time they left without permission. They were good girls. Their peers had much more freedom and their parents were much more permissive than we are. But we were far to trusting and a lot less watchful than we should have been."

"Did your girls have steady boyfriends? Was there anybody special?" Chris asked.

"No," Christian answered. "They dated. They were beautiful and popular girls and I have no doubt the boys chased them, but compared their peers, they were moving slowly."

"So there was nobody? A friend? An ex?" Rita asked.

Christian considered the question and finally said. "Jason Erikson, he was a friend of my daughter, since kindergarten. He's a nice boy, very smart, but socially inept. You don't think? There's no way he'd hurt the girls. I don't think he's capable of doing so, but his family is a bit difficult to deal with."

"Well tell us about them. What are they like?" Chris asked.

"The word "ideal rich" comes to mind," explained Russell. "It's a large family Jason is the youngest and than there is a daughter, who is married and lives out of state. The oldest are, or were, twins boys. One of them died when they would have been around 7. I don't know much about the survivor except that he's 25 and named Damion. Apparently he turned out well and works for his father. The parents are aloof and I wouldn't be surprised if there was some neglect, especially with Jason. The father can be taranical."

Rita glanced at Chris and knew he felt first stirrings of excitement as she did. Maybe they were onto something. It was weak at best, but better than what they had, which was nothing. Should they try to meet with Jason? It was a risk, but he may be their only path forward.

"What do you think Hutch? Should we try to speak to this Jason," Rita asked.

"Maybe. Perhaps he can give some color commentary on what went down. What do you think Mr. Christian?"

Robert Christian nodded. "He might, but I still find it hard to believe that he's involved in this."

"Do you think the family would let us talk to him?" Rita asked.

"Yes, as long as you stay out of Old Man Erikson's "business dealings", I don't think they'd care or even notice. The parents aren't around a lot," Christian explained.

All three detectives looked askew at Christian's mention of the elder Erikson's "business dealings", but they were there to solve a murder, not investigate graft.

"Can you think of anything else that could help us? Rita asked.

"No. We're sorry, but if we think of anything we'll contact Captain Hutchinson. Can I be frank Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo about something that's troubling us?"

"Of course! But call us Chris and Rita!" Rita said.

"We're very grateful to you both. You have no idea. We know what you're risking by helping us and we want to help support your efforts. We're prepared to give you…"

Rita held up her hand. "No. No it's not about money. We're not looking for a handout."

"You owe us nothing. This is what we do. What we are," Chris explained.

"I thought you might say that. Than I want to hire you. I understand you're Private Investigators, or at least managed to get fake credentials. I can go a step better." Christian handed them an envelope.

Rita took it and opened it. Inside were Private Investigator credentials, in their own names, and a credit card with the name L & L Investigations, LLC embossed on it. Rita and Chris looked up at the two men. They were speechless.

"The credentials are real and so is the credit card. I had my lawyers draw up an LLC in your name. If you agree, and you sign the paperwork, it will be your company, 100 percent. I'd like to have you on retainer, but you're welcome to take other clients of course. In addition, I have 10,000 for you to use now as you see fit. What do you say? We can discuss your fees later."

Rita and Chris looked at each other and then over to Hutch whose expression was inscrutable. They realized they had to make the decision for themselves. Hutch, Christian and Russell watched in fascination as Chris and Rita silently debated the pros and cons with nothing more than their eyes. They turned to the three men and said together. "We accept your deal."

Chris and Rita signed the paperwork and pocketed their new and official credentials. They left the building as quickly as they entered. They drove in silence, but Hutch finally broke the spell as he said. "I'm happy for you both. Part of me wanted you to join FLPD and I'm sure Harry would like you back in Palm Beach, but we both know that's not the life you want or need now. I'll set up an interview with Jason. I suggest you use those fake credentials, just in case. I also think we have Montoya by his short and curlies, but he's proving to be more slippery than I expected."

As Hutch drove up their street Chris and Rita scanned the area looking for anything out of the ordinary. Saying their goodbyes to Hutch, they quickly moved into the house, keeping their hands close to their guns.

"I guess you were right, Sam," Rita began to Chris. "This PI thing is a life line. I still can't believe it. I feel like we've done nothing to deserve this."

"Look I don't know why Christian and Russell are gambling on us, but I guess they see 're not going to let them down, Sam. It's the start of our new life Rita. So do you think Jason has anything to do with this?"

Rita pondured everything Chris said, but only remarked on his last question. "We haven't even met them, but something about the Eriksons gives me the creeps. They're to much like the bad golfers back home, Chris."

"I can't disagree with you. My gut is telling me this kid knows something."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day found Rita and Chris at FLPD headquarters waiting for Jason Erikson and his family lawyer. Entering the FLPD bullpen was strangely like coming home for Chris and Rita. They were trying to keep a low profile, and Hutch made no effort to introduce them to his staff. Hutch's crew seemed pretty good and they felt uncomfortable with Hutch's obvious preference for them. They'd been minor celebrities at PBPD, but they never wanted to be treated differently. They just wanted to be good cops. Their musings were cut short as Hutch entered with Jason Erikson and his lawyer.

"Mr. Erickson, counselor. Let me introduce Andrew and Cassie Lauton. They are Private Investigators and assisting us with this investigation. I'll be asking most of the questions Mr. Erickson. As a minor your parents should really be here, but I understand that they are out of the country."

"Captain," the lawyer began, "I'm allowing this interview to take place because Jason was life long friends with one of the victims, but if this goes sideways-even a bit-we're done. Do you hear me Captain?"

The brittle smile that Chris and Rita saw forming on Hutch's face was well known to them. "Oh I hear you. Now you hear me! Your client happens to be the last person to see the deceased alive. We have an impartial witness who can verify that. They say lawyers should never ask a question they don't know the answer to, don't they?"

Johnson turned scarlet, but Hutch ignored him and turned to Jason Erikson "Now son tell us about the night Becky and Kristin vanished."

Jason looked scared and overwhelmed. He looked at his feet as he stammered. "We-we were at a-a water park."

"You went with the girls?" Rita asked softly.

"No-no. I ran into them. I ran into them. Becky was always nice to me. She never laughed at me. You're nice too." He looked up at Rita.

"Well you seem nice too, Jason. I'd like you to help me find the person who hurt Becky. Can you do that? Can you remember anything else that happened?"

Jason was about to say something when the door to the interrogation opened and in walked a very handsome young man, who could only be Jason's brother Damian, and a flustered female officer. Hutch exploded, "dammit Jensen. I said no interruptions."

"Don't be mad at her Captain," Damian Erickson said. He turned to Officer Jenson, "thanks so much for guiding me here Amanda. Maybe I'll see you later?" Officer Jensen backed out of the room never taking her eyes off Damian. "Captain Hutchinson, I'm Damian Erickson," he extended his hand and Hutch reluctantly took it. "Jason's brother and, in the absence of our parents, his legal guardian. I did not authorize this meeting!"

"Jason is here to help us investigate the deaths of Becky Christian and Kristin Russell. If you're your brothers keeper you should keep better tabs on him," Chris snapped.

Damian's smile froze on his lips, "I'm sorry, we've not been introduced. Detective?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Private Investigator, Andrew Lauton." Neither man offered their hand, but by this point Damian had turned his attention to Rita.

"And who is this vision?" Before she could stop him he took her hand and kissed it. Rita yanked her hand back and crossed her arms.

"Private Investigator, Cassie Lauton," she answered tightly.

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs. Lauton. So are we done Captain? Can I take my brother away?"

"Not yet Mr. Erikson. Jason was just about to tell about the last time he saw the girls…"

"That's impossible, Captain. Jason was with me that whole night. I can supply five witness."

"Well we also have a witness that's prepared to say the exact opposite," Hutch fired back.

Rita noticed that Jason was even more deflated under his brother's gaze. Hoping that she'd managed to connect with him Rita said softly. "Jason, Jason. Please help us. What happened that night?" Jason's eyes flicked up and he looked at Rita.

"You know Mrs. Lauton. You look so familiar. I swear that I've met you before-" Rita ignored him and concentrated on Jason.

"I think you're mistaken Mr. Erickson. I'm sure we'd remember an upstanding citizen like yourself," Chris said icily.

"Say nothing Jason! We're going Captain. Unless you're going to charge my brother with something." He pulled his brother out of his chair and towards the door.

"Don't take any long trips," Hutch said softly.

"Jason please. It's not too late," Rita said forcefully.

"I'm afraid you're wrong about that! I'll remember who you really are and I'm positive I'll see you again lovely lady." Chris jumped from his chair, but Hutch stopped him with a glance.

"Well they are quite the family, aren't they?" Hutch said dryly as the door closed.

"Jason knows what happened Hutch! And that slimy brother of his is neck deep in this. He's a slam dunk for the profile-handsome, narcissistic, psychopathic, and he runs in the same circles as the victims."

"I know Rita, I know. But right now we can't prove a damn thing," Hutch replied. "What do you say Chris?"

"I agree with Rita, but what I want to know is how the smug bastard knows her?"

"Chris, he was just messing with me. It's part of his game! I'd remember him. We can't let him get to us. We need to find a way to separate him from Jason."

Chris wasn't so sure, but he put it aside as he asked Hutch. "What did you find when you searched recent sexual assaults?"

Hutch studied Rita and Chris before replying. "There was one match. About two years ago an unknown perp assaulted several young women over a three week period. No prints, but he left a sample with one victim. He's an A-B secretor. The attacker wore a mask and sunglasses, but what they saw of him was white and young. About six foot, 170. Sound like anybody we know? If it is Damian, and right now he looks real good for it, we're going to need a lot more to get him"

"Well let's spitball this," Chris began. "Damian is running in the same social circles as the victims so prior contact is possible, but none of the eyewitness mention seeing the girls with anybody, let alone Damian. How is he getting them alone?"

"We were assuming the perp, Damian for now, was courting them, grooming them," Rita observed. "Maybe we're wrong, maybe he's getting them in some other way. Did the victims try to contact anybody before they were taken?"

"Just one had a cell phone with them. The oldest victim Vicky Snow. She was also the only one that had a car on site. Her last call was to a tow truck company. When her car was towed to the impound they found that it had a flat tire. What are you thinking Rita?" Hutch demanded.

"Maybe Damian knows them from the club scene or the country club or something else. Maybe there was flirtation or at least enough contact to make them trust him. Let's say he's following Vicky Snow. Stalking her. She leaves the club and goes to her car and-" Rita glanced at Chris.

"Sounds like Good Time Charlie Part 2. OK so he offers Vicky Snow a ride home, but they never get there. He takes her someplace, kills her, and dumps the body. Maybe he does the same thing with the other two, or maybe he engineers some other kind of chance meeting. I don't see us proving it. Maybe we get a sample and nab him with DNA, but we'd need a lot more to get a search warrant." Chris shook his head in frustration.

"It all comes back to Jason!" Rita said passionately. "If we can get him to talk maybe he'll give us enough to get his brother. I want to talk to Jason informally. I think I can get through to him-"

"No, no, no. No way in hell! To dangerous." Chris said strongly. Rita glared at him and was about to argue. Hutch cut her off.

"Hold it Lance and you too Lorenzo. He's 17 which means anything he says without a guardian or counsel present could be deemed inadmissible in court if we're not careful. You know that Rita, and Chris you know that Rita is right. He did seem to trust her." Rita and Chris both nodded. "Let me think on this and talk to the DA. Maybe we can figure something out."

* * *

Rita and Chris drove away from FLPD headquarters in silence. Rita knew Chris was just trying to look out for her, but in this case they couldn't afford his natural protectiveness. Drastic action was needed. She was so focused on finding a way to convince Chris that she failed to notice that he'd driven them to the beach. Finally she looked around.

"Where are we Sam? What's going on?" She looked at Chris with a quizzical glance and could tell he was hiding something, planning something.

"You caught me! Well we need to eat dinner," Chris explained patiently.

"I don't see anyplace to eat here, Chris," Rita pointed out.

"What are you a detective? Let me worry about that." He hopped out of the car and went to her door. "COME ON GIRL!" He exclaimed as he helped her out. Rita watched him move to the trunk and retrieve a large blanket, pillows, a picnic blanket, and a bouquet of flowers. He handed Rita the flowers, which she took and smelled with appreciation. Taking her hand he led her on to the beach. They selected a spot and Chris carefully arranged the blanket and pillows to provide Rita with as much comfort as possible.

"Christopher," Rita purred, "to what do I owe this very romantic dinner?"

"Can't I just show my beautiful wife a good time? Especially since we've been living under less then normal conditions. You deserve some pampering."

Rita felt a warm glow as she reflected on how hard Chris had been working, this past six months, to make her as comfortable as possible. She felt a certain level of guilt that she'd not been able to do the same thing for him. She was determined to make up for it once their life normalized.

"Thank you Chris. This was wonderful. I love you Chris. I Ooh, ahh" Rita grabbed her bump and grimaced.

"What's wrong? Are you OK Sam?" Rita saw the concern in Chris's eyes and knew she needed to remain calm. It was likely nothing more than her body preparing for birth.

Rita gasped and let the contraction pass before explaining. "It's nothing Chris. Just my body's way of reminding me that this baby isn't going to stay inside much longer. But I think maybe we should go home."

Chris quickly gathered the picnic and escorted Rita toward their waiting car. She knew they needed to select a obstetrician. Rita had done her best to keep a regular schedule of visits, but moving so often made it very difficult. She could only hope that the baby was healthy. Once in the relative safety of their house Rita opened up to Chris about her concerns.

"Chris I think we need to pick and obstetrician and figure out how we're going to handle my delivery. I'm concerned."

Chris had been trying to educate himself on the biology of pregnancy, but there were still many things that he felt completely out of depth about. The more he thought about it the more he knew that they had to get out of the shadow world they'd been living in.

"You OK Rita? Did the contractions pass?"

Rita nodded, "yes, but tomorrow maybe we can look for a doctor."

The next day Rita and Chris found themselves in a large medical arts building. The doctor they came to see, Julie Johnson, came highly recommended. Rita had seen four different doctors over six months, which was not at all normal.

Dr. Johnson raised an inquiring eyebrow as she flipped through the various doctor's notes. "You and your husband move around a lot, don't you? Do you plan to stay in Fort Lauderdale for the birth?" Rita nodded.

"Yes. We're ready to put down roots. So how is the baby doing?"

"As far as I can tell you're doing fine, but I'd like you to have an ultrasound. You should have had them before now, but we can't get that time back, so we'll have to just make the best of it. Let me escort you to the room."

The doctor led them to a seperate room where a technician was waiting for them. Rita made herself comfortable in the exam chair and shivered as the technician put jelly on her belly and placed the probe on her bump. Dr. Johnson watched the screen carefully as the technician ran through her normal routine.

"So far everything looks good. The baby seems to be very healthy. Did you want to know the sex?" Rita and Chris were transfixed by the images, although the speed with which the technician was moving the probe made them unsure what they were looking at. They nodded eagerly.

"It's a girl. That's her her face, arm, leg. We'll print a copy for you. It will be her first portrait."

Words escaped Rita and Chris. Seeing their daughter made her so much more real and their determination to stabilize their life, all the more urgent. They left the office on a cloud, hand in hand, and for a moment they forgot about the cases and the reality of their situation.


	5. Chapter 5

Rita tried to ignore Chris's glare and the waves of displeasure that erupted from him. Hutch noticed it too, but he continued the discussion. "So, the DA feels pretty confident that, as a PI, if you just happened run in to Jason, and get him to talk, anything he says would be admissible in court. Your best bet might be to get him as he's leaving school. There's a park right near the high school, and if you got him there it would happen in public, so we wouldn't have to deal with the school. If you wore a wire, we could get everything on tape. If he talks." Hutch's eyes flicked between Rita and Chris.

"I'm in! I want to stop that psycho. We have no choice Chris!" Rita said trying to preempt her husband.

Chris was fighting an inner battle. He knew Rita was right, but the thought that Damian Erickson might do something drastic haunted him. Although Rita discounted any history with him, and a records search backed up her memories; Chris couldn't shake the feeling that they were wrong, and Damian had it out for Rita.

"OK but you stay in view the whole time Sam!" Rita nodded and was on the verge of thanking Chris for backing her up, and believing in her, but she realized that the best way to thank Chris was to come out of the interview alive.

"Chris I'm going to have SWAT there just in case you're right about Damian. Personally I don't see him doing anything that direct, he's a coward, he kills in the shadows, and hides from the light."

The trio spent the next few hours discussing how the interview would go down and finally, satisfied, Hutch drove them toward Jason's high school.

* * *

Chris watched Jason and Rita talking through binoculars and listened intently to their discussion. He wished he wasn't so far from her. When Rita first met Jason she'd been closer, but during the course of their discussion he seemed to be leading her further and further away. He saw Rita sit down at a park bench and it was clear she was also uncomfortable, and using the bench as a pretext to stay in view. Any further away and Chris would shut this whole thing down. Evidence be damned. Suddenly, without warning, Jason walked quickly away from Rita. He heard her say:

"That's weird. He just bolted like a scared rabbit. I hope we got enough, but he was rambling really badly toward the end. This boy needs professional help." Chris watched as Rita made her way toward him. He jumped from the communications van and moved toward her.

Rita saw Chris coming and smiled, but her stomach dropped as a blue van screeched to a halt between her and Chris. Time seemed to stop and Rita flashed back to their encounter in that parking lot six months prior. Five gunmen jumped from the van. Rita pulled her gun and fired hitting one of the assailants. She jumped behind a large tree and felt pieces of wood splinter around her.

Chris ran toward his partner unmindful of the bullets flying toward him. He had to get to her! He had to get to them! Chris fired and hit the shooter closest to him.

Hutch ran after Chris, yelling over the radio. "Move in, move in!" Two unmarked police cars raced forward blocking the van front and back. The SWAT team began laying down deadly accurate fire. In seconds it was over.

Chris raced past the SWAT team and saw Rita moving as quickly as she could toward him. She jumped into his arms and they kissed passionately.

"I thought that was it," Rita said, her voice thick with emotion, for the second time in seven months.

"I'm not going to leave you! I think it's finally over. It was Montoya. " Chris told her feeling confident that they were as safe as their chosen profession would allow. They walked hand in hand toward Hutch and the SWAT team.

Hutch walked toward them. "So did Montoya get lucky or is there something else going on? Why did Jason rabbit Rita?"

"You heard everything that I did, but I think it's pretty clear what happened. Damian used his brother as a way to get close to Becky and Kristin. I'm also positive that he was setting me up, and that whole slow stroll away from you was planned. I don't think they counted on the SWAT team and neither did Montoya. I just have no idea how Damian got linked up with Montoya."

"I think we have enough to get a search warrant and get a sample from Damian. The question is what to do about Jason." Hutch looked at Rita.

"Nothing. We get him some help if we can, but I have a feeling that the family won't allow it. It's really sad," Rita hated to see a life wasted.

"Now look here," Hutch began, "We got Montoya, but Damian is still out there and still dangerous. You keep your backs up until we nab the bastard."

Rita and Chris nodded soberly at Hutch, and both felt slightly light headed surviving yet another attempt on their lives. How many more attempts would there be? Would it ever stop? Hutch seemed to sense the trend of their thoughts and growled, "wipe those sad sack expressions off your face! You're alive and together! I always knew about you two. All the signs were there. Heck even the way you stand together—" Hutch was frowning but his eyes were full of mischief.

Rita and Chris glanced at each other, but looked away embarrassed as they realized Hutch was correct. They always stood close-Chris in back, casual, but watchful; Rita in front, studious, protective, and often with arms crossed, ready to defend them from the outside world. The few times they double dated were, they knew now, uncomfortable for their significant others. They'd always end up next to each other—sharing a laugh, a look, a thought. Or simply the excitement of another case; as they were called away together. Well, finally they were free to be what they'd been since childhood-Soulmates-partners.

"Why are you still standing here? Go, go! Take your wife home Lorenzo!"

"Yes sir! We are home. Finally we're home." Chris took Rita's hand and led her away. They walked toward their shared future. Toward the life they got back. They were alive and together. But neither noticed the shadows, cast by the afternoon sun, or the shadowy figure that watched them.


End file.
